Jean de Villiers: Springboks have ‘everything to lose’ against Wallabies side ‘not even part of top eight conversation’
Nic White and Pieter-Steph du Toit during a Springboks v Wallabies match, alongside Jean de Villiers.
Australia may be three from three under Joe Schmidt but Jean de Villiers is struggling to see how they can challenge the Springboks next month.
After both sides completed their respective mid-year series, they are now preparing for the start of the Rugby Championship which begins next month.
Australia and South Africa kick-off the tournament in Brisbane on August 10 before they head to Perth for the second game of the double-header a week later.
The Boks are heavy favourites for the clash but they have a dreadful record Down Under, and particularly at Suncorp Stadium.
Difference in quality
De Villiers is slightly worried that all the pressure is on Rassie Erasmus’ men going into the encounter, but the ex-captain believes that the Wallabies lack talent.
They are currently in ninth position in the official World Rugby rankings but some might have them above Argentina and Italy, who reside in seventh and eighth respectively.
However, the 43-year-old insists that they deserve their position outside of the top-eight and could perhaps be even lower.
“We have everything to lose in those two Test matches against Australia. Honestly speaking, they’re not even part of the conversation for the top eight teams in world rugby at the moment,” De Villiers said on the Boks Office podcast.
“If you go South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, France, England, Scotland. Then Italy beat Wales in the Six Nations, Samoa beat Italy. Fiji were really good at the World Cup as well.
“Yes, the history in terms of the venue is counting against us but if you take our team and you take the Australian team at the moment, there’s only one winner.”
Schalk Burger: Springboks could be in their ‘karma year’ which is ‘good’ for World Rugby
Fellow Springboks legend Schalk Burger agrees with De Villiers and expects them to claim successive wins next month providing they can set the tone early on.
“I don’t think there’s enough quality to keep us busy for 80 minutes but, then again, if the Boks start like they did against Ireland… we were a little bit off the pace regarding our work rate; our normal kick chase, our normal tackle fight,” Burger said.
“If we pitch up against Australia and you’re loose – the ball can get slippery there – and you play in the wrong areas of the field, because you think you’re a little bit too arrogant, all of a sudden they jump out to a head start and these guys start believing.
“They haven’t won a big Test match in a while but it changes quickly. If the Boks do things the Boks do really well, I think we’ll beat them in both Test matches.”
Getting the attitude right
De Villiers says that South Africa need to get the attitude right and, if they do, the team will get their Rugby Championship campaign off to a good start.
“I’m trying to find in my head a reason to say that Australia will be really tough for us and I can’t, besides the fact that history is against us in terms of the venue,” he added.
“Even if you look at the performances from Australia over the past few weeks, they were put under pressure by Wales.
“Our biggest risk is underestimating the challenge that is Australia because you need to have your basics in place, you need to treat them with respect. If we do that then I believe we’ll be able to get those wins.”
